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| The storm upon the lake |
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| (Mark 4, 35-41) |
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| This is known as the calming of the storm and is reported by Mathew, Mark and Luke. However the one of Mark has been chosen for the Sunday liturgy. |
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The disciples took Jesus with them on their ship to cross over the lake. Then suddenly arose a great gust of wind. Afraid they awoke Jesus who was sleeping on a pillow at the back of the ship: “Master we are perishing, don’t you care?” Then, Jesus challenged the wind and there came a great calm.
“Why to be afraid? Why are you not confident?” said Jesus to his disciples. |
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This short story can please the children when they hear that even the wind and the sea obeyed to Jesus! However this powerful magic of Jesus has no effect on our adult mind used to our modern thinking that gusts of wind and raging seas can be calmed by just a word let us at least be dubious if not incredulous. How can we imagine an all-powerful God when we are facing everyday his helplessness and his silence in front of all the drama falling onto humanity?
If I escape a great danger and save my life I turn to God to thank him for intervening. Thanks to him I am still alive.
However if a tragedy swoops down on me and God remains silent I am going to annoy him and blame him for not taking care of me.
In both cases God remains unintelligible, external and distant. What is he going to do with me the next time? Am I his next victim?
Mark invited us to take the attitude of Jesus in the ship. |
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| Jesus is not overwhelmed by fear or by anxiety. He was sleeping, in confidence, resting within the tenderness of his Father. He was not afraid of the reality. He was not looking for a shelter when danger was near. He was just entirely at peace with himself. This was his way of living. |
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When we are caught in the turbulences of life, captive of obscure forces, like the disciples we experience helplessness. How to face what is overwhelming? At this point Jesus invites us to move from fear to faith, from anguish to confidence.
The abandon of oneself to Jesus who is in the “same boat” as us, is a risk to take. This abandon can lead far: lose our life because of him and the Gospel instead of preserving it. |
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It is possible to recover some peace like Jesus sleeping in the ship. Peace in our anguishes, whatever are the turbulences, is possible to keep. Through the entire ordeal we may have, God is with us. We are in him. “Who will be able to separate us from the love of Christ? Said St. Paul.
Is not it the miracle that had happened in the life of somebody? |
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